Chapter 24
1738 Words
Chapter 24
Who she is
Third Person Pov:
Meanwhile, Ana crept up behind the man. Just as he leaned against the wall, distracted by his game, she struck him on the back of the head with the rod. He collapsed with a grunt. Her hands shook harder now—but she didn’t stop. She grabbed his phone and immediately dialed her own number.
“Please work… please…” she prayed, pacing anxiously. The call connected.
Someone picked up.
Ana: “Hello, Lily? Are you okay? You reached safely, right? You informed the police?”
Lily: “Yes, sis… I’m with them now.”
The network crackled. On the police’s end, the voice was breaking—they couldn’t identify it as Ana right away.
Ana: “Give the phone to the police.”
A firm voice responded.
Nick: “Ma’am, we can hear you. Please continue.”
Everyone in the convoy focused on her voice.
---
Ana inhaled shakily.
Ana: “Right now, I’m at the back entrance of the shipyard. They’re trafficking the children—taking them out of the country to sell them. They’ve already collected five kids from this area, and more from other districts. This is the final pickup point before shipping. I overheard them say there are nearly fifty children.”
She paused, catching her breath, adrenaline rushing.
Ana: “The ship arrives at 11:30 PM and sails thirty minutes after. Please… be fast.”
David: “Okay, ma’am. We’ll be there as soon as possible. Please take care of yourself.”
Ana: “I will. And… please look after Lily too.”
Here is your **polished and corrected snippet** with improved grammar, clarity, and novel-style flow. I kept your meaning and tone:
---
10:50 PM
With that, Ana ended the call and returned to the van, first observing the location carefully. The time was 10:50 PM—''forty minutes left'' She scanned her surroundings for anything that could help later. She also brought her bag; being a woman, she always took precautions. Inside were pepper spray, a small knife, and other items she hoped she wouldn’t need—but might.
She quietly collected a few things from nearby to use if necessary.
Meanwhile, in David’s car, all the officers were traveling together, updating each other on what they knew. Alex had already ordered the highway patrol to reroute toward the shipyard and instructed the others to move out as well.
The journey would take nearly '60–70 minutes', even at best. At minimum, '30–35 minutes' had already passed since everyone first began moving to their respective positions.
At that time, Ana’s phone rang again. The name on the screen flashed:
'JV 😊😉 calling'
Nick muttered, “I think someone’s calling her.”
“Answer it,” David said. “Her family might be worried.”
Nick picked up. The moment the call connected, a woman’s voice burst through—furious, loud, not giving a second to breathe:
“Where the hell are you?! It’s already 11 o’clock! When will you come home? You returned today from a journey and directly went to work. Are you stupid or what? At least take some rest, girl! If you don’t come back in five minutes, I swear I’ll destroy your designs! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!”
David and Nick exchanged stunned looks. The woman’s voice… it felt familiar—'too familiar'. Alex and Zack froze with the same realization.
Then the voice continued, demanding:
“Talk, stupid! Why are you not saying anything?”
David and Zack whispered at the exact same time, stunned:
“J… Jen? Jenny?”
Hearing unfamiliar male voices, Jen paused. She clearly wasn’t expecting them. She checked the number on her phone and then responded sharply:
Jen: “Who is this?”
Nick: “I’m Nick.”
Jen: “Why is her phone with you? Is she with you?!”
Nick: “Who are you talking about? And who is your friend?”
Jen: “Nick, her phone is with you and you’re asking me that?”
David: “Jen, stop for a second and just tell us—whose phone is this? Should we know her?”
Jen:“David? …What are you all talking about? Of course you know her.”
They all knew, in that instant, who the woman rescuing the children was. But Jen’s final sentence hit them like a punch—especially Alex.
When the name left Jen’s lips, Alex felt his stomach drop, tension seizing him like a bomb had just gone off inside.
Jen: “She is 'Ananya.'”
David: “What???”
Jen continued, confused as to why they were shocked.
Jen: “Yes. The phone you’re answering belongs to Ana. Why are you surprised? Isn’t she with you? She messaged me earlier to call her when I was free.”
Nick: “Does she know about the missing children cases?”
Jen: “No. She was in Maldives at that time, so I didn’t tell her. I wanted to explain once she got back, but when I came home she left a note saying she was going to meet a client. She said she’d return by night… but she’s still not here.”
The car went silent.
They finally understood what must have happened.
Jen’s voice turned nervous, trembling.
Jen: “What happened? Is something wrong?”
Nick explained everything they knew so far. With each detail, Jen’s face (on the other end of the call) must have drained of color.
Jen: “That stupid girl… is she safe?”
Her voice cracked, desperate for reassurance.
Nick replied, “She’s safe. She called earlier, but… we didn’t realize it was her. We’ll call you later.”
And he cut the call.
All eyes slowly turned to Alex.
11:15 PM
Ana scanned the area, searching for a safe place to hide the rescued children if she managed to get them away from the kidnappers. After locating a spot and observing the movement of the goons, she realized they weren’t ordinary criminals; each one carried a g*n. One of the five was asleep far from the others, one guarded the children, and the remaining three stood near the dock, waiting for the shipment. Taking a deep breath, Ana moved silently toward the vehicles.
Suddenly, she sprinted to a van and slammed her fist against the window. The man inside jerked up in shock, staring at her with predatory eyes. Disgust crawled up her spine, but she needed to sell the act.
“Sir, please! Please open the door! Save me!” Ana cried, the voice trembling convincingly.
The man grinned, already entertaining filthy thoughts. 'Great, 'Ana thought bitterly. 'Exactly the reaction I needed.'
He got out of the vehicle without hesitation, grabbing her hand. “What happened, girl? Tell me. I can help you,” he said, pretending to be concerned.
“Someone is following me. Please… please save me,” she pleaded.
“Don’t worry. I will.” He scanned the area, trying to look heroic.
The moment he turned, Ana led him around the corner—and struck him hard from behind. He dropped instantly. She dragged the body behind crates, securing him and making sure he wouldn’t wake up anytime soon.
“One less to deal with,” she muttered. “Who knows when the police will arrive? Another hour? Maybe more.”
She headed straight for the children, their cries echoing in the night.
“Sister, please save us. They will kill us, please,” one sobbed.
“Please, sis. Please,” others echoed, voices shaking.
“Shhh… quiet.” Ana knelt, offering a gentle smile. “I’m here to save you. I promise. But you have to be brave and listen to me, alright?”
Their tear-stained faces lifted with a spark of hope.
“I found a safe place. Come with me,” she whispered.
She led them to the hiding spot. “Stay here. Do not come out, no matter what, unless a police officer comes to get you—understood?”
“Sis, are you not staying with us?” a little boy asked, and panicked in his voice. “We can run away together!”
“No, sweetheart. There are more children like you. I have to try and save them too.”
Ana handed them snacks from her bag—whatever little she had—and turned to leave. The children grabbed her hand.
“Sis, you came to save us. Let us help save them too,” one insisted. “Please.”
She hesitated. Their determination reminded her of her own. Finally, she nodded. “Only two of you. The rest stay here and call for help when the police arrive.”
Two boys stepped forward, brave despite their fear.
At that moment, the cargo ship docked. A man stepped out—Wilson, the mastermind. Nearly ten guards guarded the shipyard.
“Boss, the ship’s here. What do we do now?” Richard, his right hand, asked.
“Four of you come with me. Collect the children. The rest stay here and make sure none of them escape. After tonight, we leave this country. Don’t make mistakes,” Wilson ordered.
As they moved, Ana slipped aboard the ship with the two boys, silent as shadows. They crept through the dim corridors, ducking behind crates. Heavy footsteps echoed nearby.
“If you find children, get them out,” Ana whispered. “Don’t wait for me.”
The boys nodded.
They hid as a guard passed. When the corridor cleared, they approached a window. Through the glass, Ana froze.
More than fifty children were trapped inside. Some were injured, others sleeping from exhaustion. All terrified.
Ana’s heart clenched. 'How can anyone do this? What have these children done to deserve this?'
“Sis… they’re all here. What do we do now?” one boy—Kelly—whispered.
“First, I’ll knock out as many guards as I can. When I signal, you start getting the children out. Don’t look back.”
Ana handed each boy a small pouch filled with sand and stones.
“If anyone tries to stop you, throw this in their eyes, and run. Aim for the face. Understand?”
They nodded, gripping the makeshift weapons like lifelines.
Ana rose, inhaling deeply, and followed the path of the guard, stepping into the darkness—ready for whatever came next.
- Writer
